Early War Aircraft for Bag the Hun

I discovered a fantastic range of 3D printed aircraft for interwar and early war scenarios yesterday, as usual while looking for something completely unrelated. These are available in three different scales including 1/300th, from Bayonets and Brushes and are intended to be used for the Spanish Civil War, Dutch East Indies and Blitzkrieg. However, they incidentally cover just about everything you could need for the Winter War, Khalkhin Gol and East African campaign, which ticks all of the boxes for my Bag the Hun Lard Mag articles, and then some! I'm sorely tempted to order a few to fill the gaps in the East Africa stash for Bag the Bok but can't really justify spending pocket money on more stuff at the moment. 

1/600th Finnish Continuation War Aircraft

It's chilly at the moment here in the UK, so I've decided to pick up a project for Bag the Hun and 'finnish' it off this month (see what I did there?) I've completed the 1/600th scale Soviet aircraft for the Continuation War and so now have the Finnish models to paint, starting with the Curtiss Hawks and some prepared Blenheims, Fokker DXXI's, Hurricanes and a single Fokker C.V, then moving onto some more fighters later on. This will enable me to solo play some of the scenarios I wrote in the 2024 Lard Mag and some new ones that I hope to devise this year, focussed on 1943 onwards. Tally Ho!

La-5 Early Version 1/285th

One of my projects for 2026 is to continue the Arctic Eagles Bag the Hun scenario article, which will require some play testing once I've done the research and writing. I also want to get some solo Bag the Hun Russian Front and Continuation War games played and have already started painting models, both on 1/300th and 1/600th scale. One thing I don't have are any early La-5 fighters in 6mm, so I was pleased to find some GHQ 1/285th packs on eBay for a good price. I will add these to my painting 'to do' box!

La-5 Description — Planes in Profile https://share.google/rnQdQ4VBYGMdZXOSi

Picking Up Loose Ends

Now that the Jasta 18 scenario project has been put to bed, I am able to spend a couple of months wrapping up loose ends, rather than starting anything brand new. I have the 1/2400th ships for the Battle of Pacocha on the workbench at the moment, but I'm also going to start painting the other half of my Bag the Hun Continuation War project. I've already painted the 1/600th scale Soviet aircraft, so now it's the turn of the Finnish, specifically the Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters of Llv32. It's a simple camouflage scheme but the yellow bands and other details make it not as straightforward as you'd think. Once completed, I can run some solo games at home then potentially take them to the club for some multiplayer games as well?

2024 Review - Scribbling Stuff

I had a couple of things published this year, which is a bonus given my lacklustre output at the workbench. After several years the Wings at War Corsairs and Cavaliers rules were published by Paul at Tumbling Dice, which is pretty cool. I wrote these as a lock down project and then offered them for free to Tumbling Dice, as I just did it for kicks and its not my system anyway. They were given a thorough check by the original rules author, Chris Russell, and have his stamp of approval, so I'm just happy to have a credit. I also had my Bag the Hun article published in this year's Lard Mag, which apparently makes me a Top Ace contributer, at least according to Richard and Nick, which is a nice way to wrap up the year. I don't really have any firm plans for rules writing in 2025 but you never know? 

Carry on Sweetheart

I have no idea if my Bag The Hun article will make it into this year's Lard Mag but I'm still going to crack on with my 1/600th scale Finnish aircraft for the Continuation War. I had another look at these today, in a break from my domestic duties (my day off is never really a day off!) and have decided to add some more aircraft to the line up, which is based on the scenarios that I've written for the Lard Mag. I can also use them for Lacquered Coffins, which will kill two birds with one stone. Fingers crossed! 

DIY Flight Stands for Lacquered Coffins

I've been away in West Cornwall for a family reunion over the weekend, so got back very early today to find a package of bits from Warbases waiting for me. These are the components for some prototype flight bases to use with 1/300th or possibly 1/144th scale aircraft. 

The basic design uses a sandwich of two 40mm square, 3mm thick mdf bases, a double frame for 7mm mini-dice and a 50mm steel nail. The nail is upside down in the photo but will have the tip cut off and glued into a pre-drilled hole on the upper square, the flat nail head being the surface to which a magnetised model can be attached. It's all very simple and also cheap to put together, making it possible to supply multiple stands to match different terrain cloths without breaking the bank.

I'll glue this lot together during the week and will probably finish them off with a snow or tundra finish, to use with my 1/300th scale early war Soviet models, which I'm going to continue painting next year for both Arctic Eagles and the Contuation War. I also have some plans for Western Desert themed bases to use with 1/144th scale plastic models, assuming I don't go down a Russian Front rabbit hole with those as well? 

Farting About with Finnish Fighters

Against my better judgement, I started base coating the Tumbling Dice 1/600th scale Curtiss P-36 / Hawk 75 fighters for the Continuation War Bag the Hun scenario project. I thought it would be a shame not to get at least some of the Finnish aircraft painted, particularly as most of the scenarios only involve Llv32, which was equipped with this particular fighter. I've given them a base coat of Vallejo Russian Green which is pretty much spot on for the fuselage colour used up to 1943, before any black camouflage pattern was applied over the upper surfaces. I'll carry on tinkering with these over the next couple of weeks, while I get on with kit bashing the WW1 stuff.

Continuation War Soviet Aircraft Finished

Polikarpov I-153 'Chaika'

Polikarpov I-16 'Ishak'

Petlyakov Pe-2

Lavochkin LaGG-3

Mikoyan MiG-3

Ilyushin Il-4

Tarting Up Some More Storage Tins

I've been tarting up some more storage tins for my 1/600th scale model aircraft over the last couple of days. Here's a WW1 German tin to go with the RFC one I did earlier, as well as a second Soviet WW2 tin to use for Khalkhin Gol alongside the Japanese one. Not bad for a bit of a side line and very easy to do.

Teeny Weeny Soviet Decals

I but the proverbial bullet today and started applying the decals to the 1/600th scale Soviet aircraft. This is the only aspect of the scale that I don't like, as it's very fiddly and time consuming, especially as you have to squint to actually see the final result. I only managed the Il-4, Pe-2 and MiG-3 models today, so have more to get sorted tomorrow, once I get my eyesight back to normal!

Winter Camouflage Soviet Fighters

I didn't get round to the decals for my Soviet air fleet at the weekend, being side tracked by the storage tin thing, but I did magnetise, undercoat and basecoat some additional fighters in white winter camouflage. I've always fancied having a crack at this so six MiG-3 and I-16 fighters are now on the paint table. The MiG's are actually needed for the last scenario I devised set in November 1942, but the I-16's are just for fun, as they're really enjoyable to paint.

1/600th Scale Souped Up Storage

I've been storing my magnet based 1/600th scale aircraft in metal geometry set boxes for years but hadn't thought of customising them until today. Here's two I've souped up for the Bag the Hun Continuation War models, with a quick spray in Halfords primer, a top coat in a suitable shade of blue and green, finished off with a spare decal for identification purposes and a brush coat of gloss varnish, having run out of the spray on variety. The finish isn't perfect but I'm quite pleased with the effect overall, so will probably go and sort out something similar for my other sets of aircraft. 

Soviet Aircraft Painting Sorted

I finished painting the Soviet aircraft for the Continuation War project this afternoon, so they just need some decals and a matt varnish to be ready for action. I've now swapped the Finnish models over to the painting production line, where I have some extra spaces leftover, so I'm going to add eight Brewsters to the line up, along with four more Blenheim MkI bombers that I've already prepared. Tally Ho!

Nearly Finished..now for the Finnish

As I'm in the final stretch of painting the Soviet aircraft, which I'm hoping to wrap up apart from the decals this weekend, it's time to crack on with the Finnish ones. These have now been undercoated in Halfords grey primer, ready for a basecoat tomorrow, if I have the time. I'm also going to add some Brewsters and Blenheims to beef up the ranks and give me some more options when it comes to scenarios.

A Waffer Thin Mint

2nd Lt.Tervo's Hawk 75A-6

MiG-3

I have some spare time today, so thought I might squeeze in just one more scenario for the Lard Mag. This one will feature 2nd Lt.Kalevi Tervo, the top scoring ace of LeLv32 with 14.25 kills to his name.  This was one of his last actions in November 1942, before he transferred to the elite LeLv 34 in February 1943, flying the Bf-109G;

'Two days later, whilst reconnoitring Lotinanpelto, 1Lt Tervo’s schwarm from 2/LeLv 32 intercepted a single Pe-2 from 119 RAE (Reconnaissance Aviation Squadron) and shot it down. The schwarm also bounced a section of MiG-3s and claimed two of them destroyed shortly after downing the Pe-2. Tervo was in action again on the 11th when he led his section against a formation of six MiG-3s over the Olonets Isthmus, sending one down in Vonozero area" 

(from P-36 Hawk Aces of the Second World War)

The last of these dogfights on 11th November looks the most promising, so I'll have a crack at that. I'll give Tervo a Top Ace rating for this but probably down rate at least one of the Finnish pilots in order to balance the scenario. The Soviets will also get a couple of Junior Aces to give them a fighting chance.

Carry on Sweetheart

                

Time for a rest after all that typing

I've now finished the introduction to the scenarios I've written for the Lard Mag, so to all intents and purposes, the Bag the Hun Continuation War project is done.* I just need to send it off to Nick Skinner so he can add it to the pile of stuff he's wading through for this edition, although there's no guarantee my bit will make it into the final cut. If you're wondering about the title, I settled on 'Carry on Sweetheart', in a nod to the Continuation War and to the Finnish pilot's nickname for the Curtiss Hawk 75. Tally Ho!

(*Apart from painting the models and running some scenarios at the club, of course)

Finnish Aces - Kalevi Tervo

I've started writing up the introductory article to accompany the Bag the Hun Continuation War scenarios, as part of which I was doing some research on Finnish Aces when I found this profile of 2nd Lt.Kalevi Tervo. It's all in Czech but easily translated into English using Google translate or similar:

https://www.valka.cz/15680-V-Curtissu-proti-rudym-hvezdam-Por-Allto-Kalevi-Tervo

Well worth a read and pretty impressive stuff, considering a lot of his initial victories were achieved flying the Curtiss Hawk-75A with Lentolaivue 32, no mean feat.

Finnish Hawk-75 Film Footage

A short but sweet clip of a LLv 32 Curtiss Hawk-75 flight, most probably filmed in October 1943. This film footage is often used as a source of still images in books and online websites but it's really cool to see the original moving images. It's just a shame it's not in colour!

Bag the Hun Scenarios Ready for Take Off

I've now added corrections, page references and a few tweaks to the Continuation War scenarios, so will be sending them on their way to Nick Skinner over on Lard Island, wherever that may be. In the end there are seven scenarios plus an alternative one that can be swapped in or out as required. I just need to write a brief introductory article to set the scene and to explain some of the theatre specific rules that are built into the scenarios themselves. Tally Ho!